A cruise ship passenger accused of killing his wife after the vessel set off from Texas told authorities that he struck her in their cabin and strangled her after an argument caused him to “snap,” according to an FBI affidavit made public Tuesday.
Jason Watford, 48, appeared in federal court on a murder charge in Galveston, where the MSC Seascape had departed over the weekend but returned to port after security aboard the ship discovered a body in his room.
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The victim was identified as Susan Watford, the suspect's wife, FBI spokesman Connor Hagan said. He added that a child was found unharmed when law enforcement responded. Court records show that Jason Watford had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting his wife in 2024.
Javier Martinez, a public defender assigned to represent Jason Watford, did not respond to a phone message Tuesday. A man who said he is Watford’s son declined to comment when reached by phone.
The MSC Seascape is a towering white vessel that has 2,270 cabins and can host nearly 5,900 guests on five- and seven-night trips to the Caribbean, according to the company’s website.
In an interview with FBI agents Monday, Watford said he and Susan boarded the vessel together Sunday and started to argue while having dinner at one of the ship’s restaurants, according to the affidavit. The argument continued in their room, it said. Watford told agents he struck the woman several times and “applied pressure” to her neck, the affidavit said.
“Subject stated that Victim 1 and he continued to engage in an escalating verbal dispute that caused him to ‘snap,’” the agent wrote in the affidavit, referring to the couple.
Jason Watford opened their room’s door for a ship housekeeper with blood on his hands and clothes, according to court records. The housekeeper spotted a woman on the floor with facial injuries, and an investigator on the cruise ship contacted authorities.
Surveillance video showed that Watford entered the room at 7:46 p.m. and Susan went in about 25 minutes later, authorities said. At 9:15 p.m., he was seen on the video leaving the room wearing a different shirt and pants from when he answered the door for the housekeeper, according to the complaint, and sat on the hallway floor looking at his phone.
Watford was taken into custody the next morning after the vessel returned to Galveston, where a passenger on the ship posted a video of Watford being escorted off the ship in handcuffs.
Court records show Watford, of Tyler, Texas, was arrested in September 2024 after Susan Watford told an officer that her husband grabbed her wrist during an argument over money in Smith County, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) east of Dallas.
The officer wrote that Susan Watford had recorded audio of the incident in which her husband could be heard becoming aggravated as she yelled at him to back away, court records show. She ran and used a stun gun, according to court records.
Jason Watford pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily injury to a family member and was placed on community supervision for 15 months, court records show.
The cruise resumed its voyage Monday. MSC Cruises said in a statement that it was cooperating with authorities and providing support to those impacted.
Watford's next court appearance in Galveston was set for Monday.
Homicide investigations on cruise ships are uncommon. Earlier this year, a teenager was charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the death of his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival Cruise ship out of Florida.
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Associated Press writer Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia contributed.
